Year: 2021

  • Austin voters will decide eight ballot measures on May 1, including ranked-choice voting and police oversight

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    On May 1, Austin, Texas voters will decide eight ballot measures. All but one, Proposition C, were put on the ballot through initiative signature petition drives. Proposition A was sponsored by the Austin Firefighters Association, Local 975. The measure would amend the city’s charter to require the city and firefighters association to participate in binding arbitration…

  • The Daily Brew: COVID-related ballot access changes in 2021

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    Welcome to the Monday, March 15, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Candidate ballot access changes in 2021 5 Idaho school board members retain seats in March 9 recalls DSA-backed candidates sweep Nevada Democratic Party leadership elections Candidate ballot access changes in 2021 At least 20 states made changes…

  • Documenting America’s Path to Recovery: March 12, 2021

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    The next 72 hours What is changing in the next 72 hours? Arizona (Republican trifecta): Gov. Doug Ducey’s (R) executive order requiring public schools to offer in-person instruction will take effect March 15. High schools and middle schools in high transmission counties will be exempt from the order. Parents will still be able to keep…

  • Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) will not seek re-election in 2022

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    Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) announced on March 12 that she would not run for re-election in 2022. Kirkpatrick was first elected to the U.S. House in 2008 before losing her bid for re-election in 2010. She was elected back to the U.S. House in 2012 and re-elected in 2014, but she made an unsuccessful run…

  • Federal Register weekly update: Five new significant documents

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    The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From March 8 through March 12—the eighth week of the Biden administration—the Federal Register grew by 1,072 pages for a year-to-date total of…

  • Ballotpedia’s Weekly Transition Tracker: March 6-12, 2021

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    President Joe Biden (D) and his team have been preparing for the transition between presidential administrations since the election, including selecting senior White House staff and appointees to top government positions. In 2020, there were 1,472 government positions subject to presidential appointment: 1,118 positions required Senate confirmation and 354 did not. The new administration is…

  • Union Station: Three public-sector union bills advance from state senates

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    Three public-sector union bills advance from state senates Since our last newsletter, three public-sector union bills have advanced from state senates in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Of the 83 pieces of public-sector employee union legislation that we are currently tracking, eight have passed upper chambers so far this year. Here’s a run-down of the three…

  • Special election primary to be held in Louisiana House district

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    A special election primary is being held on March 20 for District 82 of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Raymond Delaney Jr. (D), Edwin Connick (R), and Laurie Schlegel (R) are running in the primary. The general election, if needed, is scheduled for April 24. Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in…

  • U.S. Supreme Court dismisses case about 2019 DHS immigration rule expanding definition of public charge

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    On March 9, 2021, the clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court granted a request from the Biden administration and the groups challenging a 2019 immigration rule to dismiss Department of Homeland Security v. New York. The case involved whether the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and federal immigration…

  • More than 70 people apply to be the next lieutenant governor of Rhode Island

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    Daniel McKee (D) was sworn in as governor of Rhode Island on March 2. The previous incumbent, Gina Raimondo (D), resigned after she was confirmed as the U.S. secretary of commerce in the Biden administration. McKee was Raimondo’s lieutenant governor. Under the Rhode Island Constitution, if the incumbent governor resigns, the lieutenant governor fills the…